Intro to Global Visual Culture

This class is one that should only be taken if absolutely required for your major/minor. The scope is far too broad (~20,000 yrs) to be a real art history class. The rapid nature of the material makes it impossible to follow, and skipping hundreds of years between classes gives whiplash. Adapting to numerous teaching styles and assignments is difficult. I will note this is a distinct feature of the class, not a product of the teaching. Prof. Lenius is very passionate and knowledgeable, but the task before any professor is enormous. Would not recommend.

This class is one that should only be taken if absolutely required for your major/minor. The scope is far too broad (~20,000 yrs) to be a real art history class. The rapid nature of the material makes it impossible to follow, and skipping hundreds of years between classes gives whiplash. Adapting to numerous teaching styles and assig …Read more

It was fast-paced being an intro course, however super informative and enjoyable. The 3 exams were easy when studied for, which requires a lot of memorization. Discussions were always insightful. I enjoyed being exposed to many styles of art as well as many different Middlebury art history professors!

Recommended this course because of the last professor. The amount of content needed to take the tests is obscene. Even if you manage to get an incredible amount of information she grades so toughly. However there is no contribution needed in class so you can be independent if you want to be.

I’d definitely recommend taking this course, however it is not an easy A. Professor Lenius is very kind and enthusiastic, but the expectations sometimes felt a bit high. It felt like unnecessary memorisation—dates, artists, references, and full stories behind every single piece. However, I learned a lot in this class and as long as you put in the work, you will succeed!

This was an incredibly interesting class. Each class was a new guest lecture about a field they are an expert in. I learned the most about art and history than any other class at Midd. And Professor Vazquez is just the best. Could not recommend more with him. I bet other profs would do great as well.

I enjoyed the class material, however it covers such a wide variety of material that sometimes we have to rush and I feel like I don't learn as much. Definitely more about quantity than quality. However, it is super interesting and I would definitely take it again.

Eliza Garrison is a fantastic professor -- she is incredibly intelligent, funny, personable, and very accommodating. If you have the chance to take a course with Prof. Garrison, I would highly recommend it. That said, she is not easy and has high expectations. As far as HARC 100 goes, get ready for information overload. As a non art person, I found the class difficult at first. There is 1 paper, 3 quizzes, and an annotated reading. There is considerable reading required, but you don't need to do all of them. However, in hindsight, it's really a pretty manageable course and it was pretty easy to get an A as long as you study before the quizzes. Overall, it gives you great art knowledge which I see as important.

Eliza Garrison is a fantastic professor -- she is incredibly intelligent, funny, personable, and very accommodating. If you have the chance to take a course with Prof. Garrison, I would highly recommend it. That said, she is not easy and has high expectations. As far as HARC 100 goes, get ready for information overload. As a non art …Read more

The course leaned heavily on rote memorization, which was quite challenging. We had to remember numerous details about different cultures, images, and historical contexts, which sometimes felt overwhelming. Additionally, the grading on our single major paper was pretty tough. Since there was only one paper, it didn't leave any room to learn from feedback or mistakes for future improvements, which was a bit frustrating. While the course was insightful, the heavy reliance on memorization and the strict grading made it tougher than I expected.

The course leaned heavily on rote memorization, which was quite challenging. We had to remember numerous details about different cultures, images, and historical contexts, which sometimes felt overwhelming. Additionally, the grading on our single major paper was pretty tough. Since there was only one paper, it didn't leave any room t …Read more

Readings for every class are mostly discussed in the discussion section, but also serve as an introduction to a following lecture (artistic style). There are a few quizzes throughout the semester, which are not so easy to study for but it is doable. This course definitely widens knowledge of art.

The workload of this class is very manageable. There is never really any homework, except for the quizzes which are normally every two weeks. The hardest part of the class is the quizzes which require a lot of memorization. Other than that it was pretty easy

I loved Professor Vazquez. Classes are lecture style with relaxed discussion groups once a week. We would have reading due each day and would talk about the different art in the readings during the lecture. A great class to take to fill distribution requirements.

Professor Rogers is a great lecturer. She is very enthusiastic and engaged. She makes the material super fun and interesting. Her lecturing style also makes it super easy to learn the material. I thought this class was a great intro to art history.

I loved this class because it was so interesting to see what was going on artistically on a global scale and also the way countries influenced each other. I loved Garrison, she is super clear and enthusiastic and the quizzes and essays were manageable.

The lectures are wide-ranging to tend towards the boring side. The readings are interesting. The quizzes are manageable but require substantial revision beforehand. Definitely doable because there are only three in the whole semester.

There are many different visiting professors that give lectures so the teaching style really varies. There is not much outside of class work other than the quizzes which do require a lot of memorizing.

This course was perfect if you're looking for an art distribution requirement that is a light class in your schedule. There was some light reading outside of class and there were only four assignments that were all able to be completed on your own time. Super manageable work load wise but the class was pretty boring and lectures got hard to listen to after a while, so if you're looking for a more engaging class, I would choose a different one.

This course was perfect if you're looking for an art distribution requirement that is a light class in your schedule. There was some light reading outside of class and there were only four assignments that were all able to be completed on your own time. Super manageable work load wise but the class was pretty boring and lectures got …Read more

The course was a breeze of fresh air from the other courses. I learned a lot about different artistic movements throughout history, while being able to identify which paintings were painted by which painter and which movement it belongs to. The course gave its students a lot.

Professor Packert was very nice and easy to talk to. At times the lectures could be boring and it was hard to stay engaged. You can easily get away without reading but will need to put in some time studying for the exams. It was fun to go to the museum and special collections during discussion sections. If you are looking to get the ART and CMP distribution credits then this course is worth it.

Professor Packert was very nice and easy to talk to. At times the lectures could be boring and it was hard to stay engaged. You can easily get away without reading but will need to put in some time studying for the exams. It was fun to go to the museum and special collections during discussion sections. If you are looking to get the …Read more

I loved this class and got so much out of it even as a non HARC major or minor. Each lecture was taught by a different professor from the art history and architecture department. Some professors were more engaging than others but overall class time was very valuable for success in this class. The exams were easy as long as you prepare well.

I had a really great experience in this course. It was definitely boring at times, but when I took it, many days featured guest lectures from all of the professors in the department, making it a really unique experience. We spent a lot of time visiting the college's art museum which broke up the material nicely. There were only 3 projects, which weren't too bad, as long as you put in effort. I would definitely take this class again!

I had a really great experience in this course. It was definitely boring at times, but when I took it, many days featured guest lectures from all of the professors in the department, making it a really unique experience. We spent a lot of time visiting the college's art museum which broke up the material nicely. There were only 3 pro …Read more

Very lecture-heavy class with little work other than reading about 2 chapters of the textbook every week, and even that is not necessary because the lectures cover most of the material. It's a great class if you're interested in art history. There are guest lecturers every week from the department who cover different regions and time periods. Some of the lectures can be incredibly boring. I genuinely liked the content and still fell asleep in some classes. The discussion sections are fun. Overall, Prof. Packert makes the class really easy for students and it's a good class if you like art history or just need a light workload.

Very lecture-heavy class with little work other than reading about 2 chapters of the textbook every week, and even that is not necessary because the lectures cover most of the material. It's a great class if you're interested in art history. There are guest lecturers every week from the department who cover different regions and time …Read more

Taking intro GVC with Packert was a double-edged sword. The class was extremely easy, however, extremely boring at times. Each lecture is 1:15 min and there is not much conversation with students. The discussion sections are fun as you go to the museum, and do other fun activities relating to art. We had two essays, an annotation, and two exams. For writing assignments, she isn't super clear about what she wants. For example, at the end of the annotation, you need to write a 2-3 sentence summary. I wrote a 2-3 sentence summary and she expected me to have included way more detail than 2-3 sentences allowed me to do. If you end up taking this course, please write more than she wants on each assignment.

Taking intro GVC with Packert was a double-edged sword. The class was extremely easy, however, extremely boring at times. Each lecture is 1:15 min and there is not much conversation with students. The discussion sections are fun as you go to the museum, and do other fun activities relating to art. We had two essays, an annotation, an …Read more

Cynthia Packert was a fine teacher, but her lectures were very boring. I did no readings outside of class, except to study for the very difficult midterm and I got an A. The midterm was the only test and it was very difficult. The final was a paper and was also very difficult. But outside of the midterm and final paper the class was very easy and I spent no time outside of class working on it with the exception of 2 or so small assignments. The discussion sections were fun and engaging.

Cynthia Packert was a fine teacher, but her lectures were very boring. I did no readings outside of class, except to study for the very difficult midterm and I got an A. The midterm was the only test and it was very difficult. The final was a paper and was also very difficult. But outside of the midterm and final paper the class was …Read more

This class was very broad and covered a large amount of material. The one paper was not very difficult, and the exams are just a matter of memorizing some facts about pieces of art. The readings are not necessary even though two to three sets of readings are assigned each week.

This course was a good intro the HARC department. It gave a broad overview art and architecture across time and civilizations. It wasn't super stimulating, but it was not a lot of work either. It was interesting to have lectures in class from difference professors throughout the department.

This course was extremely lecture-heavy, and the lectures were often boring. There is almost no homework, just readings that are unnecessary because everything is covered in lectures. It is a good class if you are interested in art history, but it it extremely fast-paced, and the amount of content is overwhelming.

I took the course to fill the art requirement. The weeks are broken down into 2 lectures that are quite dull and slow. The lectures are accompanied by readings but are not necessary to get a good grade in this class. The exams are all memorization and quite simple if you put in the work.

Professor Sassin was nice but the class so boring. Also you didn't need to go to class at all to get an A in this class. The projects aren't too bad, and I would consider this class to be a gem. Also I have no interest in art anymore after taking this class.

This course has been very interesting, and I have learned a lot about a wide range of art. It's nice that there are many different guest lecturers that come in and teach their own areas of expertise. However, I do not like Professor Vazquez's style of teaching. I find that he says things in an unnecessary, overcomplicated way that makes it hard to understand even if it's a simple concept. I would still recommend the class though and think it is valuable.

This course has been very interesting, and I have learned a lot about a wide range of art. It's nice that there are many different guest lecturers that come in and teach their own areas of expertise. However, I do not like Professor Vazquez's style of teaching. I find that he says things in an unnecessary, overcomplicated way that ma …Read more

I liked Eliza Garrison because she was enthusiastic about teaching and made an effort to get to know everyone in her large class. She is personable and accommodating. We had about 50% guest lectures which were interesting but sometimes I wished Garrison would teach more. We had a really fun writing assignment about something in the Midd museum which I loved. This class is very manageable but it involves a lot of memorizing before exams. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

I liked Eliza Garrison because she was enthusiastic about teaching and made an effort to get to know everyone in her large class. She is personable and accommodating. We had about 50% guest lectures which were interesting but sometimes I wished Garrison would teach more. We had a really fun writing assignment about something in the M …Read more

Good for an introductory course. The syllabus is well-designed. The workload is completely reasonable. I enjoyed the professor's teaching style, all fun and intellectually stimulating. Would take again.

This course was terribly boring, and painful to sit through. Eliza Garrison is fairly passionate about the course, but the material is just beyond boring. If you are an athlete I would stray away from Professor Garrison. Her grading style is terribly bias, and she picks favorites from day 1. I would say it is nealy impossible to get an A in this class if you are an athlete. She gives 0 feedback on quizzes and exams, but will give you terrible grades that make no sense.

This course was terribly boring, and painful to sit through. Eliza Garrison is fairly passionate about the course, but the material is just beyond boring. If you are an athlete I would stray away from Professor Garrison. Her grading style is terribly bias, and she picks favorites from day 1. I would say it is nealy impossible to get …Read more

The course materials are really broad. It covers the art history in different areas throughout the times. There were tons of info to take in which made the class a bit dry. Prof. Rogers makes the range of content to be tested in exams pretty clear.

The course was straight forward and not very difficult. It does a good job of giving you the information and as long as you do a reasonable amount of reading and study a fair amount for exams this is an easy A

The lectures were clear and well-presented. The course readings are unnecessary for understanding class or projects/exams. The exams are mostly memorization and relatively easy. There are a few projects that aren't too time-consuming.

This class was very easy. If not for the daily attendance, there would really be no need at all to show up at the class. The projects are not very time consuming, you do not need to do the readings at all, and the exams are pretty much just memorization (I kinda have beef because THE SPOILS OF JERUSALEM ARE ON THE ARCH OF TITUS NOT TRIUMPH DONT TAKE POINTS OFF MY EXAM) but other than that it's just a boring easy class.

This class was very easy. If not for the daily attendance, there would really be no need at all to show up at the class. The projects are not very time consuming, you do not need to do the readings at all, and the exams are pretty much just memorization (I kinda have beef because THE SPOILS OF JERUSALEM ARE ON THE ARCH OF TITUS NOT T …Read more

Class is structured in the form of lectures taught by different professors in the department. The quizzes are very memorization based, but content is very enjoyable overall. I would take this course again, especially if you like art history.

I enjoyed being exposed to various form of art across history. However, I didn't learn much about art analysis and the grading could be more chill for an introductory course. Constant reading and some art workshop in discussion session.

The lecture would definitely get dull at times with a lot of slides and talking, but the content was very interesting and informative especially if you are interested in art. For the exams it definitely is important to have a good sense of the content discussed in class even if you don't study much.